Hush little baby
by flan.the.man
Summary: Jenny interrupts a night between Gibbs and Colonel Mann, then inadvertently stumbles upon Gibbs' past. Mibbs for a second. Jibbs to an extent.


_I've had this on my mind all week. I can only hope I done it some justice!_

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Jenny sought him out. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she had an itching suspicion it was to do with him leaving NCIS this evening with a certain blonde Colonel on his arm. His front door was unlocked, which came as no surprise. She went to slip her heels off in the foyer when it occurred to her that he was most likely in his man cave. The same man cave that housed a formidable plethora of nuts, bolts and other potentially sharp objects on its concrete floor. So she kept her feet safely incased in the Maddens, and stalked straight through his living room and kitchen to the laundry room, pausing at the creaked door to the basement. Jenny tilted her head, listening to the female voice for a moment.

"Why is it a romantic night on the town always turns into a less than romantic night in your basement sanding your boat?" Hollis queried through her laughter.

Jenny rolled her eyes, deciding the Colonel should know Gibbs better by now. She didn't bother waiting for Gibbs to answer and pushed open the door, clearing her throat whilst doing so, just to make herself known. Only Hollis' gaze diverted to her. She figured Gibbs already knew she was here the minute her car pulled into the drive.

"Director Shepard," Hollis greeted with feigned warmth, as Jenny cautiously descended down the wooden death trap that claimed to be stairs

Gibbs looked up at the mention of her name.

"Director?" He uttered gruffly, the question of her presence evident in his tone.

"Colonel Mann, Agent Gibbs." Jenny retorted curtly, managing a sort of strained smile.

His eyes caught hers, and he studied her intently.

She looked away from him and let her gaze roam the room, taking in her surroundings. It had been a while since she'd last graced this basement with her being.

"Gibbs, I need to read you in on a case—" Jenny began and allowed her handbag to fall from her shoulder, sliding a manila folder out from within it, before glancing towards the Colonel. "It's one of sensitive matters, in fact—" she pointedly halted again, flicking her caustic gaze back to the Colonel.

Gibbs immediately acknowledged what Jenny was implying, and resentfully complied. He was all for flaunting Hollis in front of the Director, but his gut told him it was Jenny that had come over tonight.

"Holl'," he started, moving towards her and taking her gently by the arm. His use of an affectionate nickname made Jenny bristle, and something akin to jealously flared up in her stomach.

"I hope you're not about to apologise," Hollis smiled, before continuing, "Duty calls. I get it." She shrugged, loosening her wrist free from Gibbs' grasp.

"I'll walk you out," he nodded towards the staircase, his hand falling, Jenny noted, to her lower back.

Hollis smiled gratefully, making her way towards them with Gibbs in tow.

Jenny's shoulders slumped, her professional façade fading once they both had left the room, and she dropped the _empty_ manila folder to the nearby work top.

She ran her fingers along the dusty work top, taking comfort in the familiarity of the musky wooden smell that permeated the air and clung to Gibbs on a daily basis. Her fingers came to a halt by an old cassette player. She brushed her thumb over the buttons, automatically hovering over 'play' before pressing down on it.

At first there was nothing, then dainty—childish piano playing sounded from the small player. Jenny recognised the tune as a lullaby, Hush Little Baby, and smiled. She turned from the counter and moved towards the boat, the piano recital still playing in the background. Admiring Gibbs' pride and joy, she ran a hand over the shell of the boat. It was the little girl's voice that abruptly erupted from the cassette player that made Jenny jump from her skin.

"What do you think, Daddy? I came in second place!"

_Daddy_.

Jenny's stomach plummeted. She suddenly felt as though this was something she shouldn't be listening to, but her body felt like lead when she tried to move. So she didn't. Instead, Jenny stared incredulously at the cassette player, and to her complete shock another voice, female— but older, chimed in: "You would have been proud of her, Jethro."

"This better be damn good Jen," Gibbs remarked bluntly as he appeared at the top of the stairs. All breathe was forced from his lungs when he heard his daughter's voice. He furrowed his brow, his head suddenly pounding — unsure of what was happening for a second.

Jenny finally started forward at the sound of his voice, and he noticed her hand coming to rest on the player.

"I love you, Daddy. Love you," the little girl chirped.

"Bye Jethro. We miss you." The older female finished, then the tape cut off.

"Daddy," Jenny murmured to herself, trying to comprehend what she had just heard.

She felt his gaze burning into the back of her, and turned hesitantly round to face him.

Gibbs sat perched on the stairs, setting his jaw and staring stonily back. He didn't move, afraid his legs might crumble from beneath him. He watched Jenny's features, trying to gauge a reaction.

"Jethro—" she rasped, breaking the silence. She all but stumbled towards the stairs, her eyes locked with his icy blues. At that, he stood, and forcibly made his way past her, heading straight for the work top and straight for the bourbon. Clearing a mason jar of its contents, Gibbs carelessly splashed the alcohol into it, paying no attention to the fact he got more on the counter than in the jar. He gulped back the beverage, enjoying the blazing trail it made down his throat.

"Divorced three times, married...?" Jenny probed, pivoting to stare at his back.

Gibbs slammed the mason jar down, causing her to jump along with the counter.

"Married?" She persisted, a feeling of utter dread in her stomach. Somehow she knew anyway. She knew the answer, but she wanted him to say it because she had a feeling he rarely did.

"Four." He managed, brusquely.

"Oh, Jethro," Jenny made a small noise in the back of her throat that caused him to turn and face her. She didn't have the words to comfort him, because she felt like she couldn't breathe. She opened her mouth, then closed it — pausing, hesitating.

He cut her off when she went to speak. He didn't want to hear her pity.

"Shannon and Kelly. Kelly was my daughter," He said bitterly. Jenny noticed the use of past tense, and sensed regret in his words. She felt as though his admission had left a chill in the room. She wrapped one arm around herself, edging towards him.

"What happened?" She half whispered, the words coming out in a desperate croak.

"They were murdered when I was deployed — drug cartel got 'em." Gibbs revealed hoarsely, and Jenny was positive she'd never heard him talk so quietly.

She shook her head in disbelief, and squeezed his arm, unprepared for the tears that sprang to her eyes. She felt like the floor had just been tore from beneath her, or like someone had just punched her in the gut. She drew a shaky breath, angrily swiping at her cheeks.

Jenny let her hand fall from his arm, and backed away, unsure if he wanted comfort. Confident that this was something he had never really spoken of. She was at a loss for words, for actions.

"How old was she?" She asked huskily, in a low murmur, sure if she spoke any louder her voice might crack and give way to the teary turmoil and horrid sense of understanding she was feeling.

"Eight," he answered dourly.

She turned from him entirely, suddenly unable to bite back the sob in the back of her throat. Jenny made for the stairs, intent on leaving— but she abruptly spun to face him again.

"Jethro," she forced out through her soft sobs. "Why did you never tell me?"

"There wasn't exactly an opportune moment to, Jen," he growled emphatically. "When do you suggest I should have? In between the sex and the bourbon — or wait, sometime after making a kill?" Gibbs choked balefully, his words cold and hard, chilling her straight to bone.

She stared at him for a moment, at his hollow blue eyes. She wiped furiously at her own eyes again, positive the last thing he wanted to see was her tears.

"I don't know," she relented quietly, realising her demand was utterly selfish. She felt like all her energy had been sucked from within her.

Jenny folded both arms across her body, bending her head and allowing her hair to fall forward, shading her face. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to force her thoughts into coherency. The last thing she expected was for Gibbs to tilt her chin upward, using both hands to frame her face. He used a thumb to swipe beneath her right eye, brushing away the tears on her bottom lashes. Her mouth trembled, and she stared at him for a moment. His action was enough for her anger to flare then fade, and for her to realise that she had no right to resent him for not telling her. She had yet to tell him about her father.

"I'm sorr—" she began to apologise, but stopped because she knew better. Jenny reached up and took both of Gibbs' hands in her own, interlocking her fingers with his. She leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, a mere gesture of comfort.

Gibbs freed his hands from hers. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words arrived.

"Go home, Jen," he said gruffly— tiredly.

He wanted to be alone. Jenny could understand that, she could related to that. She nodded slowly, unsure if she felt comfortable leaving him in this state. She figured she had to, they didn't have that kind of relationship anymore, they were barely even _friends_. So she let out a shuddering breath, and gathered her bag onto her shoulder. She cupped his face in her palm, before turning and making her way up the stairs, out of the basement, and out of his house. Jenny waited until she was in her car before she properly let the tears fall.

* * *

It wasn't until she had left that Gibbs noticed the file Jenny had brought with her on the counter, abandoned and forgotten in the wake of her discovery. He flicked it open with the purpose of perusing the content and pushing tonights events to the back of his mind. It was empty though, and he wondered what that meant, and why exactly Jenny had came over in the first place.

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_Thanks for reading. Review! :-)_

- _flynn_


End file.
